Oaxacan Día de Muertos: Build the Ofrenda With Our Family

“The candles do not go out until sunrise. Neither do we.”

Three days with our family in Oaxaca — build the ofrenda together, cook pan de muerto, and hold vigil in the cemetery of Xoxocotlán with candles until dawn.

Día de Muertos is not costumes. It is when our dead come home. You are welcome to help welcome them. Oct 31 — Ofrenda building. We drive to the market for cempasúchil (marigolds), copal incense, and sugar skulls. Back home, you help build the three-tiered altar with photos of our grandparents. Nov 1 — Día de los Angelitos. The children come first. We bake pan de muerto and share hot chocolate. Evening: painted faces (optional, done by a local artist), procession through the pueblo. Nov 2 — The vigil. At 22:00 we drive to the cemetery of Xoxocotlán. Every grave lit with hundreds of candles, families sitting through the night with a mezcal for the departed. We stay until dawn. 4 traveler seats among ~20 family. Warm layers essential — the cemetery vigil is cold.